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Don Boyd | all galleries >> Memories of Old Hialeah, Old Miami and Old South Florida Photo Galleries - largest non-Facebook collection on the internet >> Gallery: Do YOU Remember? - all years - click on image to view > Milk delivery at your home in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers on top
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Milk delivery at your home in glass bottles with cardboard stoppers on top

USA


In the Miami area, we had McArthur Dairies, Dressels Dairy, Home Milk, Velda Farms and others offering home delivery of milk, bread and other dairy products.


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Guest 16-Oct-2020 03:45
I just saw an image of a Home Milk truck in what appears to be a crime scene. The description is "Home Milk Delivery Truck, N.W. 3rd Avenue and 16th Terrace, 1969. Miami. FIU Library" Would you have any insight into this?
Joe Papierz, Jr 15-Aug-2017 02:44
My dad worked in the Home Milk bottling plant in the 50's thru the 60's. His main job was to wash out the processing equipment and connecting pipes. We were a family of three growing children and the discount we enjoyed for home delivery was welcome. We drank a lot of milk in those days. One day he brought me to work with him and showed me around the plant. I was impressed when we went into the executive office and he introduced me to his bosses. They all knew his name. It was a tiring but fun day.
Bonnie 01-Dec-2015 03:07
George,my dad
Walter Dove delivered for Harvey Dairy in Brentwood Maryland.
Bonnie 01-Dec-2015 03:04
This comment is for Greorge Dextras
Guest 19-Jun-2015 15:24
I lived in Miami at 34th st and 14th ave. during the late 50s thru 60s. My step-father drove a milk truck for a time. I only remember getting up in the back and getting ice out of it. Recently I started thinking about the Farmstore where we later started getting milk and ice cream. I couldn't think of the name of the store so I googled it today. I guess I'm at the age where we start thinking about "the good old days." We used to go to Allapattah Baptist Church. Allapattah was such a nice area when I was young. We had a shoe repair shop where the policeman would tie his horse up out back. That was when the Allapattah bakery made the good stuff--eclairs and napoleons. I used to weigh myself on the very large scale at the Live and Let Live Drugstore. There was a small theater next door. We had a YMCA where we went to summer camp and the counselors would tell us stories under the big fairy tree while the wind blew the leaves.
Guest 12-Feb-2015 04:39
We grew up on Home Milk and Orange Juice delivered twice a week in Miami Springs during the 60s and early 70s by a sweet man named Clarence. His wife Marjorie owned the wedding dress shop just off the circle in the Springs. On Saturdays, payment collection day, he would stop by, offering ice cream and fruit pies as well (Mrs. Smith's pie in a brown box with red lerttering). The cooler in the cab of the truck had a huge block of ice that he'd "toss" out, on Saturdays, so we could play with it. Fond memories! Continued the milk deliveries in the styrofoam lined aluminum box with McArthur stamped in the lid when we moved to Kendall until they ceased in the 80s.
Carol 31-Aug-2014 14:59
I was just talking to my husband about home milk delivery, he stated that he did not remember having it in his home town! I once lived in the Margate area in the early 70's suburb of Ft Lauderdale FL. on 16 th ct off of Royal Palm Blvd, I was so little about 4 or 5 yrs old, what a great memory. Thanks for writing about it.
Erika 03-Apr-2014 11:39
Hi, I loved the article since I have been curious about this for a while now. I want to have some milk delivered to my place and surprice my daughters with it. I think is a neat idea. I would love to know if there is a link that you can provide me with since I have tried looking but haven't been successful.
Thank you.
rosemary diaz 22-Jan-2014 05:02
need home delivery of milk and products
Mike Moskos 08-Nov-2013 13:22
I live in East Hialeah and a few days ago I was up really early, sitting outside. At 4:48am--I remember the time because I couldn't believe it--a McArthur truck pulled up to the apartment building next to me and delivered milk. This was in November 2013; so McArthur is still making deliveries, probably through independent contractors.

I have seen a similar (or the same) truck deliver milk to another apartment building across from me at a more reasonable hour later in the morning.

I'm happy to report that you can get raw (unpasteurized/unhomogenized) milk directly from the farmer in lots of places in South Florida. Talk about "real" milk. The flavor is unbelievable; particularly in the spring when the animals are eating rapidly growing grasses. Huge amounts of cream in the cow's milk. Cow, goat, sheep, and camel milk are available.
Bob the Milkman's daughter 06-Sep-2013 00:35
My Dad was Robert "Bob" Nippes (pronounced nip-es, it's German) He worked for "Florida Dairy" (might have been Home Dairy?) in Miami from the late 40s through mid-50s, then for McArthur Jersey Farm Dairy in the 60s, then as an independent distributor selling McArthur in his two routes; Plantation and Lauderdale-by-the-Sea. My parents lived on Brickell Ave Miami 1948-53 then on NW Miami Ct off NW 191st St. until 1982. We had a cow trough in our backyard and SR 441 was a 2-lane. Royal Castle was on 191st and 441. I attended Hibiscus Elementary, Daddy would drive his truck home and throw ice at all us kids. And those yummy ice cream cups with the strips of wooden spoons! I still have three of the foam-lined aluminum porch boxes mentioned and two metal and wood milk bottle carriers. Daddy used to do his "bookwork" (billing) at the dining room table for hours. I'm looking for McArthur milk bottles. Other McArthur milkmen were "Shorty" Gomez and Joe Cook, who worked for Daddy when he went independent. Before Daddy left McArthur he worked as the security guard at the Ft. Lauderdale plant on 441.
Guest 08-Dec-2012 18:04
I lived in Hollywood - We had Sealtest delivered. I remember Home Milk, though
Guest 18-Sep-2012 13:30
Who was the first milk lady for Home Milk?
Guest 15-Jan-2012 12:31
Growing up in Perrine, off Coral Reef Drive, we had McArthur's delivery, with the insulated box outside on our door stoop. There was a big McArthur's warehouse where all the McArthur's delivery trucks in the area got their dairy supplies and kept their trucks. It was on the northbound side of U.S. 1 in Perrine at about 165th street, just north of the Southern Bell central office. Then, in the later half of the 1960's, a Farm Stores opened on Coral Reef Drive near Flynn's Dixie Ribs. It was so easy to drive through there to get milk and all the other dairy items, I think that's when we discontinued getting everything delivered by McArthur's. But one of our neighbors got their milk delivered by McArthur's all the way up until around 1984 or '85. I don't think any dairies deliver that way anymore.
Don Boyd10-May-2011 04:44
Hi Joanne, thanks for adding that tidbit about your dad. I would probably do the same thing knowing my two sleepy head daughters when they were in their teens. : )

Don
Joanne Higgins Allen 09-May-2011 22:39
Don,
I'm Judys sister another milkmans daughter. I wanted to add my story of what I remember. Dad had his store delivery route near our house. He would be on his route by 4:30 am and by 7am his was half way finished. Thats when he would come home for breakfast. Once home he would use every pot and pan in the house and turn on the radio as loud as he could just to walk us all up. We really loved that time of our life.
Don Boyd09-May-2011 06:15
Thank you for posting a great story and memories about your dad, Judy. Someone who is happy at their job doing what they do is far better off than others who couldn't care less about their jobs or hate their jobs.

Don
Judy Higgins Wagner 09-May-2011 00:40
Milkman memories as i recall....My dad worked for Land O’ Sun Dairies in the late 50's early 60's. He drove a small truck with no doors and stood all day long while driving. Come to think of it, there may have been a sliding door but it was always open. There was no seat. I guess that made him run faster to deliver milk. He delivered to homes and apts. We used to ride with him (probably against the rules) on some Saturdays.
He went to work at 3 am every morning, 6 days a week. And he would come by and roust me out at 5 am. I would sit on the floor. No door, no seatbelt NO SEAT!
The glass bottles made music as we drove as the balmy morning Miami breezes rushed thru the open door truck. I was maybe 10 years old.
Early one Saturday morning, we arrived at a high rise in a ritzy high rise condo building near Indian Creek.
He loaded up his metal wire basket holders with as much milk and butter as he could tote.
It was about 6 am. He was on the seventh floor (walked up) when he hearing me singing at the top of my lungs "Oh What a Beautiful Morning."
He flew down 7 flights of stairs to tell me to hush. “The (rich) people are sleeping.” He loved telling that story.
We had milk delivered to our door in North Miami Beach every other day. Milk butter and eggs. We paid 10 cents a quart.
Land O Sun was bought by Home Milk Dairies and they opened the most amazing ICE CREAM plant next door to the milk plant near downtown.
My uncle worked in the ice cream plant and brought home 5 gallon barrels of ice cream. I think I ate a heaping half a gallon of ice cream every day. Seriously. And it was so inexpensive. Then McArthur bought out Home Milk and dad stayed on (he LOVED being a milk man) and eventually worked in setting up stores and working PR for McArthur in the Winn Dixie’s. He never met a stranger. Everyone he met loved him. I have never known anyone so completely happy at their job as my dad was. Good times.
Don Boyd24-Feb-2011 15:47
Home Milk, thank you very much for all that history and your memories. I never knew that about your grandpa, the city of Plantation, etc. Perhaps your family should make an effort to get a major road in Plantation named after him due to his historical importance to the area? Thanks for posting here.

Don
Home Milk24-Feb-2011 07:32
Thank you for remembering Home Milk.My Grandfather was the founder & owner of Home milk. Who was also the first resident in what now is called plantation. His dairy (where my mother was born) original location was at Broward Blvd and 441 to Sunrise Blvd west to Fl turnpike.
Later it was moved to Delray Beach. Home Milk was the last Dairy to deliver milk to your door in Broward. McArthur bought him out in 1973.
His name was Pleas A. Swindle. Also donated the land and finaced the first City Hall & Police station of Plantation. He also built the first Movie Theatre (Plantation Theatre) Built first Department Store Woolworth all on the north corner Broward and 441. Later he built hotel Gold Triangle department store and The Ranch House restraunt. He was the Donald Trump of Plantation. In our family we dont say his name but I guess I can type it. Peters Rd. should be changed to Swindle Avenue. Peters bought his way thru! He had nothing to do with Pleas Swindle making Plantation a city. Peters was a tight wad. Rest in peace Grandpa.
Guest 15-Jan-2011 21:01
how do you get the milk delivered
GEORGE DEXTRAS 29-Jul-2010 15:16
I DELIVERED BOTTLE MILK IN A STAND UP DIVCO TRUCK,IN BRENTWOOD MD FOR HARVY DAIRY
Tommy Berg 19-Apr-2010 04:04
My parents had McArthur milk delivery up to the mid-80s, once or twice a week. He would come around 6am as I was getting up to get ready for school. We had burglar bars, so he would place the gallon of milk in a McArthur crate box at the front entrance just outside of the burglar bars. My parents noticed the milk being stolen one morning after delivery, so they arranged for the milk man to place the gallon of milk in the crate box on the inside of the burglar bars (front terrace) by barely being able to squeeze it through an opening and pushing the crate with his crowbar so no one could reach in and steal the milk.
Guest 15-Oct-2009 01:45
Home milk was down the street from McArthur, and it was still around as late 1974
Rachelle S. F. 12-Feb-2009 05:46
We had Home Milk delivery in SW Miami to the aluminum box at the back door during the 50's. Loved the cream top milk in the 1/2 gal. jugs.
Louis 22-Jun-2008 19:08
We had Home Milk. Home Milk was located on NW 7th Avenue where McArthur is now. I guess they got bought out about 100 years ago, cause the last time I saw or heard of Home Milk was in 1971.
Don Boyd21-May-2008 03:18
What was that old advertising jingle? "We all threw up on McArthur?" or was it "We all grew up on McArthur?" I loved McArthur milk growing up but never touch the stuff now and haven't for decades.

Don
Jo-Anne K 20-May-2008 20:41
I had MacArthur as a kid.
Guest 07-May-2008 19:19
The man from MacArthur Dairy use to walk right into the back door and put the milk into the refrigerator while we were eating our breakfast. My mother hated it if we were already up because he always had a handled tray with other things like brownies, chocolate milk, etc. and he would ask if we needed anything else. Then we would pressure her for some of the other items she normally would not purchase.
Ray 11-Apr-2008 01:19
In Miami heat, you wouldn't want your milk out in the sun like this. So we had gray aluminum boxes with Styrofoam lining sitting at the front door.

And you might remember the first person who used the milk got the cream at the top before the days that milk (and many other things in life) got homogenized.
Martha 09-Apr-2008 15:42
Don't forget Dressels Dairy. I lived in Miami Springs and that's who delivered our milk.